LAMB Of GOD Guitarist Willie Adler Talks To Ball-Buster About New Album Ashes of the Wake
Nov/Dec 04
by Travis Bain
Lamb of God creates metal music that is progressive yet traditional, political yet personal, and speaks to every other person who enjoys hard music. Their third album, Ashes of the Wake, is a growth but still has all the characteristics of a Lamb of God album.
While on tour in support of their record released through Epic Records I took some time to speak with guitarist Willie Adler. We talked about their typical daily tasks in the life of Lamb of God, their current album, and their political lyrical content.
Ball-Buster: So how's the tour been so far?
Willie Adler: Excellent. It's been really good. Fear Factory is awesome and we brought along Throwdown from when we toured OzzFest. We get along with everyone and the crowd has been amazing.
BB: What has changed since OzzFest?
WA: Nothing really except for the amount of gear we have on stage. There are more guitar cabinets per side and a drum riser. We just decided to change it up a bit.
BB: You have been together as a band for 10 years now and still have a rigid practice schedule of playing 5 times a week. What do you cover during practices?
WA: We play the set list and then decide what kind of monologue Randy is going to talk about to the crowd. We try to make everything tighter. While we are on tour we mainly focus on the set list and do not create new songs. When we wrote the record we kept on writing new songs.
BB: Is this one of the reasons you were able to release your third album, Ashes of the Wake, in four months because of your practice schedule?
WA: Yeah, definitely. We just kept on writing during those four months and then had pre-production time.
BB: I have listened to your previous albums and now your current album and there is a growth and progression. Did you intentionally want to evolve this album from the others?
WA: I think it naturally happens especially if you're a good musician. You will keep on changing and it's just a matter of putting our music together.
BB: For someone who has not listened to Ashes of the Wake what can they expect to hear from this album as oppose to the others?
WA: It's different. They can expect to hear a development in the songwriting and structure. But above all it's still a Lamb of God album with everything brutal that we have done before but more maturity in the songwriting.
BB: What is your favorite song off of this album and why?
WA: I would have to say "Hourglass," because it's the most progressive song we have. I love all the riffs in that song and they fit together great.
BB: What are some songs that people will go crazy over while in the pit?
WA: I think "Something to Die for," "Laid to Rest," and "The Faded Line," will make people go crazy.
BB: What are the majority of your lyrics about?
WA: Most of the lyrics are written by Mark and Randy and are about personal issues and politics.
BB: In your lyrics you touch on many subject matters and some of them are political. Do you feel it's your responsibility as an artist to comment on the political world today?
WA: No, I think it's just what's going on around us and is hard to ignore.
BB: Do you think not too many artists are commenting on politics and need to be?
WA: No, I don't think so at all. Many people have something to say.
BB: What is your overall message you want to convey to your fans with your music?
WA: I think to just have fun and enjoy what you're doing. Hopefully the fans can connect to what we are doing.
BB: What are your plans for the future for the band?
WA: To continue touring and writing music. Also, spreading the word and connecting with more people. I hope that I can be able to do this job 20 years down the road.
BB: What is next for Lamb of God after this tour is finished?
WA: We are touring for two weeks in the UK and then after that we will be home for the holidays. Then we will probably do some more touring.
